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Sheet"s-Sheet 1 (N6 Model.)

J. WATSON. MAGHINBPOR PRESSING SOAP. No. 554,755. fla l.

Patented Feb. 18,- 1896.

AN BREW EGRINAM. PNOYOUTHQWASHINGMN. D C.

(No Model.) J TSON 3 Sheets'Sheet 2.

MACHINE FOR PRESSING SOAP.

atented F 18, 1896.

lliOREW BLRANAM.PKOTWLITHQWASMINGTBK D C (N0 Model) I J. I 3 s hee tssleet 3. I MACHINE. PORPR-ESSING SOAP.

No. 554,753, Patgntedfeb. 18, 1896.

{ANDREW BYGRANAM.PMOTULWHQWASNING'IO)LDI:v

UNITED STATES 'ATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH IVATSON, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH \VATSON &

SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR PRESSING SOAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 554,753, dated February18, 1896. Application filed June 13, 1895. Serial No. 552,630. (Nomodel.) Patented in England March 22, 1895, No. 6,011.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH l/VATSON, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing -machinery for pressing soap into cakes or blockswherein molds for receiving the soap to be pressed have been carriedaround the periphery of a revoluble cylinder having a step-by-stepmotion, and the bases of such molds have been movable, one mold-basebeing connected to an opposite mold-base and operated by the blow of ahammer or of the pressing plunger, or otherwise. Pressingplungers havebeen employed to coact with the moldcarriers and press the cakes, andsuch have been actuated by cranks or by weights. The cranks have theeffect of applying excessive pressure to athick orheavy cake of soap,whereas a thin cake is not sufficiently pressed, and in practice thecakes of soap to be pressed commonly vary somewhat in weight andthickness. A weighted plunger is equally unsuitable, as the pressure istoo dead and of too long duration, which causes the soap to adhere tothe mold.

This invention relates to certain combinations of parts and particularlyto the mold carrying cylinder and the plungers coacting therewith. Themolds are arranged oppositely to each other around the periphery of adrum, free to be revolved in a vertical plane with a step-bystep ratchetmotion upon a horizontal fixed shaft. The mold-bases rest uponhorizontal rods in the interior of the drum, and the rods are carried attheir ends in the stationary cam-grooves of disks keyed upon the fixedshaft so that the bases are forced up or outward at proper times by the--revolution of the drum to expel the pressed cake and to allow of themoldbases being cleaned. When the mold-bases are brought inward theyrest upon the fixed shaft and are supported thereby. At one point in therevolution of the drum the molds in one set are brought opposite theplungers which are actuated by springs assisted by weights and held backby a cam, whereby a swift striking movement is given that strikes athincake of soap equally with a thick one, and as soon as the blow isdelivered the plunger rebounds from the soap and is caught by the cam asit revolves, thus preventingthe plunger resting against the soap andadhering to same.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 anend elevation, of a machine constructed according to this invention.Figs. 3 and 4: are detail views.

The mold-drum A is mounted loosely on a fixed shaft B, carried inbearings situated on side frames 0 O.

D is the main shaftof the machine, which is driven from the belt shaft Eby spurwheels E D, and .D is a crank situated on the main shaft D.

F is a ratchet-wheel fixed to the mold-drum A, and F is a pawl connectedto a crank D 'by means of a connecting-rod F, so that at each revolutionof the main shaft D the molddrum A is moved a quarter of a revolution.

G are plungers which are arranged to slide horizontally, being supportedat the back by rollers G carried from the framework, and the front endsof the plungers G are pivoted to the springs G which tend to keep themin a forward direction.

H are bell-crank levers which are pivoted below the plungers G, beingconnected therewith by toothed segments H, and the said segments H alsoserve as supports for the plungers G.

H are weights which are connected to the opposite arms of the bell-cranklevers H, and tend to press the plungers G forward in conjunction withthe springs G and the weights on the levers being adjustable thepressure or force of the plungers G may be regulated as required.

J is a cam which is mounted on the shaft D and works against blocks J,mounted on the plungers G, so as to withdraw the said plungers andretain them in the back position during the required time.

On the ends of the plungers G pins G are provided, which enter holes 14in the molddrum A when the plungers G strike forward.

On the face of the spur-wheel D a camway K is provided which actuatesa'bell-crank lever K, the opposite end of which is connected by means ofa rod K to an arm K mounted on a rocking shaft K which also carries armsK which latter are provided with links K having a rotary brush K withfriction-pulley K mounted at their lower ends. Another rotary brush L ismounted at the opposite side of the mold-drum A, being geared to thelatter 10 by chain-gearing L, so as to rotate at a high speedsimultaneously therewith, but in the opposite direction.

M is a traveling band which is actuated through bevel-gearing M andchain-gearing M from the shaft D.

V is a tube arrangement for supplying a draft of air to the brushes Kand L, whereby they are kept clean and moist.

The drum A is provided with two sets of molds, composed of four molds NN N N in one set and P P P P in the second set.

R are the moving bases of the molds, which are free to rise from or restagainst the fixed shaft 13. Camways S are keyed to the fixed 2 5 shaft13, and rods T, which pass through the bases R, have their extremitiesin the camways S, which latter actuate the rods T, so as to cause thebases R to rise and fall in their respective molds.

When the machine is required for use, the belt-shaft E is set in action,thereby transmitting motion to themain shaft D of the machine throughthe spur-wheels E and D. The soap is then placed in the molds N and P,now at the upper part of the drum A, and

the latter is turned a quarter of a revolution by means of thepawl-and-ratchet motion F F. \Vhen the drum A has arrived at the rightposition, the end of the cam J passing the edges of the blocks Jreleases the plungers G, thereby allowing them to spring forward andpress the cakes of soap within the molds, and the fixed shaft B, beingin contact with the bases R, takes the pressure exerted by the plungersG. The plungers Gare then withdrawn by the cam J, and the pin on thebell-crank lever K coming to the change in the cam K lowers the brush Kbetween the drum A and the plungers G, thereby causing the brush K torotate owing to the frictional contact of the pulley K with the drum Aand sweep the surface of the said plungers G and "completely clean same.As the drum A rotates the pair of cakes which have been pressed in themolds N and P are gradually forced out of the molds by the bases R, andwhen the drum A has turned a second quarter of a revolution the cakes ofsoap are fed out onto the traveling band M, which carries 6o them awayfrom the machine. The bases R are thus at the surface of the drum A,where they remain for aportion of arevolution, and while they are inthis position they pass in contact with the rotating brush L, whichcleans them effectually from particles of soap which may have adhered tosame. The soap in cakes of proper size is advantageously fed into themolds by hand, and at 10 a crankarm is represented upon the end of ashaft 11, upon which is a second arm to give motion to the belt-shiftingbar 12 for acting upon the belt that is made use of to drive the pulleys13, so that the machine may be stopped or started. These feeding,pressing, and delivering processes continue, the soap being fed into themolds at the upper surface of the drum at each quarter of arevolutionand being delivered onto the traveling band at the base after they havebeen pressed.

The pressure of the plungers is equally given to both thin and thickcakes of soap, as they work quite independently of each other, and thepressure being of an elastic nature removes the danger of breaking whichsoapmachines have hitherto been subject to.

I claim- 1. In a machine for pressing soap, the combination with amold-carrying drum upon a horizontal shaft and a step-by-step ratchetmechanism for revolving such drum, of an independently-actingpressingplunger G, a spring G fixed to the framework and acting tosupport the plunger and carry the same into action, a roller G on theframework to support the rear end of the plunger, a bellcrank lever Hand weight H on one arm of the bell-crank and a toothed segment on theother arm engaging with the plunger to supplement the spring action, ablock J on the plunger, a cam J on a rotating shaft D to coact with suchblock J and draw back such plunger, as set forth.

2. In a machine for pressing soap, the combination withindependently-acting pressingplungers G, of a drum A loosely carried ona fixed horizontal shaft B, ratchet mechanism for intermittentlyrotating the drum, molds form ed in the drum A to contain the materialto be pressed, mold-bases R capable of being raised or lowered in themolds, horizontal rods T in the interior of the drum to carry themold-bases, disks keyed to the fixed shaft B and having stationarycam-grooves to receive the ends of rods T, whereby the rods and moldbases are moved inwardly and outwardly at proper times, the mold-basesbeing supported by the shaft B when the plungers are brought intoaction, as set forth.

3. In a machine for pressing soap, the combination with theindependently-acting horizontal plunger G, of a spring G connected tothe framework and to the plunger to support and carry same into action,a weighted bellcrank lever H engaging with the. plunger to supplementthe spring action, a cam J on a rotating shaft to withdraw, retain andrelease the plunger, and a rear guide for the plunger, a drum A looselycarried 011 a fixed shaft B, ratchet mechanism for intermittentlyrotating the drum, molds formed in the drum A to contain the material tobe pressed, movable mold-bases R, horizontal rods Tin the drum A tocarry the movable mold-bases, and stationary grooved cams S on the shaft13 to receive the ends of the rods T and move the bell-crank lever Koperated by the grooved mold-bases, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the independentlyacting horizontal plungers G,springs G2 and Weighted levers H for advancing the plungers, a rotatingshaft D, and cams J thereon to Withdraw, retain and release theplungers, a mold-carrying drum A and a ratchet mechanism for revolvingthe drum upon a fixed horizontal axle B, the movable mold-bases R andtheir rods T and the fixed disks with cam-grooves to operate themold-bases, a grooved cam K on the rotating shaft D, a

cam, a rock-shaft K operated by lever K, a brush K carried by and raisedand lowered into and out of action by said rock-shaft K and afriction-Wheel on the brush K co-acting with the drum A for rotating thebrush to clean the acting surfaces of the plungers G 20 upon the descentof the brush, asset forth.

JOSEPH WATSON.

